Red Riding Hood
by MyrthaK
Summary: When Eleven regenerated, the last thing he expected was to stumble upon a planet that was destined for destruction. As Twelve becomes himself, a young girl in a red riding hood has a story to tell, and no one will believe her. Meanwhile, a new evil is stirring, and soon everyone will be crying wolf. (Twelfth Doctor, New Companion- Rated T because I'm paranoid)
1. Chapter 0

**Hey there! This is my first Fanfic on this site as MyrthaK. (Call me Myrth!) It's also my first Doctor Who Fanfic! Before you go all rage-y on me for killing the Doctor in the Prologue- Spoilers! LOL... Problem?- just read the whole story and you'll understand why the Doctor couldn't possibly be Eleven in this. Enjoy! :)**

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Prologue I: "Geronimo"

The Doctor stumbled. His face contorted in pain for an instant, then it vanished as he gripped the TARDIS console. The wound in his side bled through his tweed jacket, staining it and soaking his right hand. He pulled the palm away from the injury, and gasped in pain. His hand was covered in bright red blood. Gingerly, he replaced the hand and shuffled around the console, using it as a support.  
The Doctor pulled a lever up, then down, spun a spinny-thing suspiciously similar to a whisk, then slammed his palm against a button. He cried out in agony. The TARDIS groaned and shook, as though she sensed his nearing regeneration.  
The gentle glowing had started as soon as he'd reached the centre console, and he knew that soon, he would be someone else. Some new man would saunter away, leaving this version of himself behind, forgetting him forever.  
Ever since his tenth regeneration, the idea of becoming someone else had scared him. He'd been so happy as that Doctor, despite the sad ending. Now the eleventh Doctor was coming to an end, and he was more scared than ever. If this newer, twelfth Doctor regenerated, he would have only one regeneration left before dying forever. No more changing his face and outfit, then wandering away in search of danger.

A sharp pain shot through the Doctor, bringing him crashing back to the present. Or wherever he was in the Time Vortex.  
He was sent flying as the TARDIS gave a particularly violent judder.  
The glowing was much, much brighter now, like a sort of golden mist rising off his skin. It was around now he would've said goodbye to someone, or said something meaningful, or laughed at his situation, while crossing his fingers for his new looks. But this time, the Doctor just clentched his hands and whispered, "Geronimo.."  
The golden mist became like flames, shooting off his head and hands, and his right side at the exact location of the wound.

* * *

Prologue II: "All the Better to Eat You With"

"He-hello?" The young voice broke the silence of the desolate cottage. A young girl with a startlingly bright red cape tied around her shoulders with the hood pulled up stepped into the dusty living room. Her footsteps echoed around the house, old, worn furniture doing nothing to prevent the reverberation.  
"Granny?" The young girl made her way to an old-fashioned door, one floorboard groaning under her foot. The door was slightly ajar, so she only had to place her small palm against the wood for it to creak open.  
In the room was an old-fashioned dresser with a faded mirror and a jewellery box perched on top. Two people smiled out of a picture frame from atop the dresser, one of them holding a little bundle wrapped in bright red fabric.  
Dusty curtains barely blocked the stream of moonlight filtering into the room from the window. The full moon was at its brightest, acting as the only source of light in the room. It was obstructed temporarily by the branches of the trees that surrounded the little cottage.  
On top of a bedside table lay a book, its spine bent to hold a page. A pair of reading glassed rested on top of its faded cover.  
The bed, which lay in the centre of the old-fashioned room, was a simple wooden-framed one, with a blue-and-white checkered blanket draped over a gently shifting lump about the size of the little girl.  
"Granny..?" The girl whispered. She took a step forward, a ringlet of chocolate brown curls brushing her cheek. Her huge brown eyes took in every detail of the room but focused on the lump on the bed. It shifted, and a low growl escaped it.  
The girl gasped, but made no move to run. Quite the opposite, the girl crept forward. Clutching her cape with one hand, she reached out towards the lump with the other. Her hand paused above the quilt, fingers shaking. She hesitated, and in that very moment, the lump moved again. Then, suddenly, the quilt was thrown off, revealing a large, snarling wolf, tongue swiping over its teeth and blue eyes gleaming with bloodlust. Its dark grey pelt shone silver in the moonlight.  
The girl screamed.

* * *

**Guessed the theme yet? Also, what will the new Doctor look like? You'll have to wait until Chapter One to find out!**


	2. Chapter 1

**At last, Chapter One. I won't hold you here for long. Just go ahead! :)**

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Chapter 1: Return of The Big Bad Wolf

In a small village on a planet far from Earth, an old blue box materialised beside an inn. The simple buildings looked as though they'd been stolen from Sixteenth century Britain. On Earth.  
A man stumbled out of the blue box, into the daylight of the village. The man, who was quite tall, young-looking (Probably around seventeen, eighteen), and wearing a bloodstained tweed jacket and a bowtie, appeared to be glowing faintly. He squinted up at the sun, stuck a finger in his mouth and then held it up in the air. He frowned.  
"Not Earth, for once. Hmph. That's strange." He frowned again. "Ooh, new voice! Doh ray mi fah so lah ti doh! Ooooh, not bad, not bad at all. Faintly Irish, if I'm not mistaken. I've always liked the Irish. Such a history for such a small island, and how far they've come! And it's always the place people forget. Shame, that. Oh well." With that, the man spun on his heels and stepped back into the blue box, muttering something about outfits.

Around twenty minutes later, the Doctor stood before a full-length mirror, admiring his new outfit. He wore a dark blue shirt, black trousers, a pair of Converse (a black one and one red one), and a lime green tie. He was grinning madly.  
"Can't believe I never thought of this combination before!" Then, suddenly, his expression changed to one of disbelief. His eyes travelled upwards to the messy crop of flaming red hair atop his head.  
"I'm... I'm..." He spoke with quiet awe, then suddenly leaped up and punched the air. "Yes! _Yes_! I'm finally _GINGER!"  
_The Doctor celebrated a little longer, then, after examining his looks a little closer, he left the wardrobe and made his way down the corridor past the TARDIS console- he'd have to remember to clean up the blood- and out the doors.  
"Right, with that out of the way, time to explore. Find out why the TARDIS brought me here, and not Earth, like she normally would after a regeneration. Quaint little village this. Early Seventeenth- _no! _Sixteenth century. If it was Earth. Strange, I can't remember ever knowing about a planet like this. Huh."  
"Mornin', sir!" A young boy cycled past on was surprisingly similar to a bicycle.  
"Remarkable... humaniod in design, with similar traits and speech habits. Interesting. Well, better find out where- and when- I am, so." The Doctor turned towards the inn and made his way inside, studying the door and its hinges with awe.  
Inside was a roaring fireplace on the left wall, surrounded by sofas and arm chairs. A strange rug lay on the floor underneath the furniture. On the right was a sort of bar, with a counter and chairs. A door at the back of the inn stood ajar, showing stone stairs leading upwards.  
There were a couple of men hanging around the bar, talking quietly. They stopped as soon as the door closed behind the Doctor.  
"'Ello, lads!" He called out cheerfully. The men gave him a brief glance, then turned away, back to their coversation. Even the bar-tender seemed interested in the discussion. "Oh, all right then. Have it your way." The Doctor mumbled under his breath, then made his way up to the bar.  
"Wha'd you wan', then?" The bar-tender straightened up, seeming annoyed to be torn away from the conversation. His voice was low and gruff.  
"'Ello!" The Doctor repeated. "I'm the Doctor, and you are..?" The man grunted.  
"Sorry, didn't quite catch that, sir."  
"Gruh'ka."  
"Well hello, Grooka!"  
"It's _Gruh'ka."_  
"Exactly. Well, Grooka, can you tell me... what planet is this?"  
"W-wha' did ye say?" The bar-tender's lips drew upwards in a sort of sneer-y smile.  
"Ah. Should've learnt not to ask that after the 'Princess' fiasco in the Gamma-5 System..." The Doctor muttered to himself. "Er, I meant, what's this village called? I'm new around here, and-"  
"D'ye hear tha', guys, he's new!" That caused a bit of gruff laughter, before it died off. "Well, newbies don' last long 'roun' 'ere... ne'er long 'nuff to fin' out! Always ge' scared off, y'see?"  
"And why is that?" The Doctor's interest rose. A place where people were scared off? That was a good place to break in the new body.  
The man's voice lowered, and he moved closer to the Doctor, leaning over the counter.  
"Leg'nds. Leg'nds of death and doom. Then people star' dying 'roun' 'ere, real mysterious-like. People- newbies- reck'n it's the leg'nds, the ancien' evil comin' back te hunt us. Reck'n it's the return o' the Big Bad Wolf. So they leave.  
Us locals know it ain't no Big Bad Wolf killin' these people. It's imposs'ble. B'sides, wolves kill sheep, not men. But tha' don't stop the newbies talkin'... spreadin' rumors 'nd scarin' local children. Y'see, there ain't a little 'un in Oakvale wi'ou' nightmares o' those beasts 'cause o' the newbies 'nd their crazy-talk."  
"Hmm... I see. Can... can you tell me more of the legends of this 'Big Bad Wolf'?" The Doctor's face was pale and completely serious.  
"I would, bu' they's jus' stories. Might be good te stop the rumors 'nd stuff. But if ye really wanna know, ye could rent a room an' check out the libr'y. Maybe ask 'roun'. I'm sure there'll be some'un who'll wanna talk. Not me, though."  
"Right, then. How much to rent a room?"  
The bar-tender looked taken aback. He clearly did not expect _this _newbie, of all the crazy people who come looking for shelter, to stay.  
"Er, well... five pieces per night. Bre'kf'st is at eight. Sammy'll show ye yer room. SAMMY!" Just then, a door behind the bar which the Doctor hadn't noticed before swung open, and a young boy of about ten scrambled out. He was bedraggled and had a similar crop of red hair to the new Doctor's, except his was more unruly and curly. Despite this, his blue eyes shone brightly, like little... ponds... in a mass of unwashed face. He smiled happily up at the Doctor, and gestured towards the door at the back of the inn.  
The Doctor smiled awkwardly down at the young boy- Sammy- and followed him up the stone steps. They stopped outside a simple wooden door.  
"There you go, sir. Room two. And sir..?" Sammy paused at the top of the stairs, as the Doctor opened the door. "Be careful, okay? You seem nice. D-don't go outside after dark, especially not when the moon's the brightest." His face seemed to contort with fear for a fraction of a second, before he disappeared down the stairs. The Doctor frowned as he pushed the door open. Such a cheerful little boy, who didn't seem afraid of an inn full of bad-tempered men, was terrified of the full moon and what resided underneath it.

But what the Doctor was most worried about was something the bar-tender had said. He'd mentioned two words the Doctor had thought he'd escaped. Thought he had left behind forever. His two hearts thumped loudly even at the thought of it.

_Bad Wolf._

* * *

**Dun DUN DUUUUN!  
Also, any ideas for Twelve's catchphrase? Something like Allons-y, Fantastic, Geronimo, or Onwards and Upwards. Yes. I know of **_**that**_** Doctor. Don't judge me! But I suppose if you know him too, you're one of us. No, the lime-green tie has nothing to do with it. It's just a little joke between one of my friends and I. You know who you are!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry there was such a huge gap between the prologue and Ch 1! So as an apology, here's Chapter 2!  
Guess how long it took to come up with **_**Hush Now, **_**including the tune! Go on, guess!**

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Chapter 2: Hush Now

The Doctor sat at the dimly lit bar, his bright green eyes glittering in the candlelight. He held a strange cup of water, which- despite the bar-tender's best efforts- contained no alcohol.  
The Doctor found himself laughing suddenly. Here he was, just after regenerating. He was ginger, he wasn't all that bad-looking, and now here he was, sipping a drink at a dimly lit bar on a planet he didn't even recognise! Oh, if only his first regeneration could see him now...  
But back to his original train of thought. If he was to figure out anything, he should start by asking some questions. Such as: 'Excuse me sir, but I'm a time-travelling alien. Can you please tell me where and when I am?' Yeah. That'd really go down well.  
The Doctor frowned. A tuft of his fiery red hair fell over his eyebrows as he stared into the cup of water.  
What. To. Say.

Just then, the door to the bar/inn swung open. In the doorway stood a small girl. She couldn't have been more than nine years old. A bright red cape was hung around her shoulders, a red hood of the same material up over her chocolate brown curls. Two of the most innocent, widest brown eyes the Doctor had ever seen peered out from under the ringlets. They were brimming with fearful tears.  
Immediatelly, the Doctor leaped to his feet, anger making his jaw clench. Anything that made a child so innocent so very scared deserved his wrath. Just as he was about to make his way over, one of the men in the huddle at the other end of the bar yelled out.  
"Oi! Lil' 'un! Get ou'a 'ere. Ain' no place fer a girl, 'nd cert'nly no place fer an orph'n. So get!" He made a shooing gesture with both big, hairy hands.  
"B-but you don't understand! It's Granny- she's gone, and... and... last night... the wolf..!" The girl let out a squeal of terror as a shoe was tossed half-heartedly in her direction.  
The Doctor opened his mouth in fury. No one had the right to treat a child so horribly, and not even listen to her! Just as he did so, the shoe-tosser got to his feet.  
"Gruh'ka, get that piece o' orph'n dung outta 'ere! She'll stink the place up, 'nd scare away all the payin' customers! Tha' right, lads?" There was a chorus of threatening ascent from the small gathering. Again, the Doctor opened his mouth to defend the girl, but he was interrupted again by a scared _Sssshhhh! _from Sammy, who had appeared behind the counter. The Doctor grumbled, but continued frowning at the men.  
Gruh'ka, the bar-tender, sighed tiredly. He muttered something unintelligeble, then took a deep breath.  
"You, girl, get outta my inn right now, or you know wha'll happ'n!" He sounded more exhausted than annoyed.  
The girl's face contorted with sadness and utter hopelessness, before she spun on her heels and dashed out into the prevening sun.** (Prevening: pre-evening: Between 4PM and 6PM)**

The Doctor frowned even more, and his jaw clenched again. Then he slipped back to his cup of water and took a sip. If he was to help the girl, he needed to do his homework.  
"Er, Grooka?" The Doctor leaned over the counter to the silent bar-tender, who made his way over slowly.  
"Gruh'ka."  
"Yes, well... is there any sort of library around here by any chance? It's just... if I'm to be staying here a while, I wanna do some research, y'know?"  
Gruh'ka seemed to chew on his answer for a while.  
"There's an ole one down by the riv'r. Big ole buildin', can't miss it. Jus' turn right an' go t'wards the sound o' water."  
The Doctor blinked.  
"Oh... that- that was remarkably easy! I thought you might say something cryptic, then I'd leave all confused, wandering town and generally causing bamboozlement through my use of words such as 'bamboozlement' to describe my confusion at your riddle, until I realised that the answer was staring me in the face all along, and there is actually no such thing as a library and I'm actually dead, then I wake up. Y'know?"  
The bartender blinked this time.  
"Anyway, thanks, Grooka!" The Doctor called as he leapt from his seat, and drained his cup.  
"Gruh'ka."  
"Exactly. Bye!"

The Doctor left the inn but was immediatelly confronted with a heartbreaking scene. The young girl who had been shooed out so viciously from the inn was sitting on a tree-stump, head in her hands and sobbing quietly as a small amount of snow began to drift from the darkening sky. The few passers-by ignored her completely.  
The Doctor's fury instantly caught aflame again, but he swallowed it for the time being as he made his way over.  
She didn't acknowledge his approach, even as he crouched down so that he was at eye-level with the girl in the little red hood which was getting a light sprinkling of snow.  
"Hello there." The Doctor's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. She sniffed gently, then glanced up at the man in the lime green tie. She glared at the inn.  
"...Didn't believe me..." She mumbled, then glanced down at the thin layer of snow falling from the sky.  
"I know. I'm sorry." The Doctor shifted to try to look in her eyes. When she didn't move her gaze, he used the knuckle of a bent index finger to lift her chin. He was almost rendered speechless by the sadness and fear and hopelessness in her large brown eyes. "What's your name?" His voice was soft, despite his knowledge that she couldn't possibly be any more scared than she already was.  
The girl glanced down again for a fraction of a second and muttered something.  
"Sorry?"  
"Kah'ra." The girl's voice was only just audible.  
"Kara?" The Doctor asked.  
"Kah'ra."  
"Kara?" The Doctor repeated.  
"No, Kah'ra  
"Yeah, Kara, that's what I said!"  
"Whatever." She shrugged, but the Doctor saw the gleam of amusement in her eyes.  
"Hello, Kara. I'm the Doctor." He smiled as comfortingly as he could.  
"Just 'the Doctor'?" Kara's brow creased gently under her chocolate ringlets.  
"Yes. Just 'the Doctor'. Now, shall I tell you something _you_ won't believe?"  
A sparkle in Kara's eye almost said _'Try me.'  
_"I'm not from around here. In fact, I'm not from this galaxy. I'm from a planet far, far away called Gallifrey. I travel in time and space in a blue box called the TARDIS, which was named by my granddaughter. I stole it from my planet. I'm the last of my kind now. I'm a Time Lord. I can die and come back as someone else, but the same person. That's called regeneration. This is the twelfth regeneration of myself. Oh, and I'm one thousand, one hundred and ninety-five years old. Believe me?"  
Kara's eyes widened under her bright red hood until her eyebrows were no longer visible. After a moment of stunned silence, she whispered, "So... you're an alien, then?"  
The Doctor smiled and winked.  
Now came the tricky bit.  
"Kara... do you mind telling me what it was the others didn't believe?"  
Kara shuffled her feet, clutching tightly to the fabric of her hooded cape- so much so that her knuckles turned white.  
"L-last night, I went to visit my Granny in her cottage in the woods. I had a basket of cakes that Wirh'ma made- she's my Minder- to bring with me. When I got there, the house was dark and empty, and there was no note or anything! I searched the cottage, and... and... in her room, there was this... thing on her bed. I- I went to go and look, and underneath was this big, scary wolf!" Her voice rose to a higher and higher whisper with the last three words.  
"Shhh... it's okay. It's okay. I'm here." The Doctor placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, since she'd started crying again. "Now, can you tell me what this wolf was like?"  
"It... it had huge eyes, huge ears, huge paws, huge, sharp teeth... and..." Kara sobbed once again.  
"And?" The Doctor leant forward to hear her.  
"And... it had blue eyes like Mum and Granny! It was so scary..." Kara dissolved into tears again.  
The Doctor frowned as he put an arm around the young child in comfort, whispering a gentle, tuneless lullaby as the snow fell. He was lost in thought, forgetting that he was actually humming a lullaby he hadn't heard in over a thousand years.

_Hush now little one  
Try to get some rest.  
Think of when you're big and strong  
You'll be the very best._

_All of Time is at your hands_  
_Everything is true._  
_Travelling through Space as well,_  
_We'll all look up to you._

_Hush now little one  
Try to get to sleep.  
I'll be here to comfort you  
While you count those sheep._

_The second sun will rise again  
Before you must wake.  
And when it does, the silver leaves  
Will shine upon the lakes._

_Hush now little one  
You know what to do  
Anything is possible  
When I love you._

Kara glanced up at the Doctor, smiling. She was completely at ease again. The Doctor blinked in surprise. He'd only just caught himself finishing the lullaby.  
"Well, that was..."  
"Lovely!"  
"...Unexpected. I'd forgotten that lullaby. Or at least, I thought I did... Last time I heard it I was ninety years old. So young. Huh." His voice was distant, as though he was lost in memories. Then, he shook his head and turned it towards Kara, his green eyes glittering in renewed strength.  
"C'mon, I need to do some research at the library. Y'know, since I'm an alien and know nothing about this planet!" He leaped to his feet. Kara followed soon after, and the pair raced off to the river.

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**Did you like **_**Hush Now**_**? You can hear it sung if you have some patience to wait for me. Just a heads up though, my mic is terrible. And I'll be playing it on piano. I'll let you know where you can find it as soon as I finish with it. (Just waiting for everyone to leave my house!)**


End file.
